Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-21

"4 GU cannot speak lOF Joy, suppose;
even though you have made second
selection!" said this mocking friend, eye
| ing him with intense melevolence.
Montressor's tongue certainly failed
him for few seconds; bis bewilderment
and dismsy were indescrIbable-the sense
of sudden and dire calamity, shame and
destruction, enveIoped him like dense
dark cloud.
"Devill" at last be gssped; chow did
the sea-how did Death spare you when
that ship perished?"
"For very good reason. 1 didn't sail
IN her."
"But your name was in the list OF
those
"Who paid their passage money, and
were thus supposed to have embarked,
which never intended to do"
"Aud since them"
81 have been on 'the scoop in London,
living On myEwits after your money was
spent; and | saw lately your marriage IN
the papers. / knew then that you were
home from India, and traced you here,
and here l mean 10 remain. But you
don't seem 6 bit glad to see me-your
own Irene, Of the happy days at Brighton,
My arrival to take my place and enforce
my Just rights Will rather scare your new
maaam, fear; but she must now bundle
ABOUT her business. However, talking is
dry work, and this is some prime s1erry,
I SUPPOSE" she added, and filling q
champagne goblet to the brim from a
decanter, she drained IL at a draught.
Claire now came tripping lightly into
the room, smiling and smoothing her
sunny hair with her white fairy fingers,
and then adjusting some flowers on her
bosom, till some hing in the aspect of the
intruder, who stood face to face with her,
and more than all, something in the
horror-struck expression of Digby, ap-
palled the poor girl, and her smile died
away. She grew quite pale, and glanced
inquIringly at her crushed and maddened
husband.
"CIaire-Claire! he exclaimed with
outstretched hands, as the words seemed
to force themselves from him. ooh, my
own one-how l love you!"
She drew back with more startled ex-
preston at this piteous and unexpected
outburst.
"Digby, what is it; why do you look at
me thus? You are ILL"
"No," he gasped, as he passed hand
across his eyes; "no-but full Of horror"
"For what?"
"For you-oh, my Cod"
"What does all this mean?" she asked,
with sudden terror and anguish.
"It means that l am his frst-married
and lawful wife, young woman; that l
won't be paid to keep my marriage dark
eDy longer; that 1 am here, here 1 shall
remain; and that you may-nay must
clear out ST once" said the intruder,
with q strange mocking laugh, and 8
glance of fellest fury in her eyes, while
that she was partially inebriated was but
too apparent.
It was a terrible scene.
Montressor led Claire, who was pas
sive IN his hands, to their apartment
theirs no longer now. She glanced at
him mutely, imploringly, with white and
palsied lips, that failed to utter the ques-
lions that trembIed on her tongue, while
the crushed aspect and deadly pallor of
Montressor more than appalled, her, as
they seemed to corroborate the ACCUSE
ton brought against MIN; and for some
minutes, to judge By Claife's eyes, q flooG
OF anguish, shame, horroI-or was IL con-
tempt-seemed to sweep over her soul.
"My poor Claire" SAID Dlgby; "my
poor darling, what am l to say-how eX-
plain away the dark secret of my life-the
secret that now will be the ruin of
yours?"
Then, in hurried but broken accents,
he told her of his act of youthful folly at
Brighton; and of the money he had paid
to rid himself of Irene Beaufort-if in
deed such was ner name; of the depar-
ture and laundering of the ship with all
on board; of his ignorance of the decep-
ton she had precticed upon him, after he
had sailed for India, believing himself
then, as when he returned free man
and now-now-aftera ll-after all!
Even bribery, with all his fortune,
would not mend matters now.
"Let Us take time let US consider
what can be done," he said with grosn
ooh, God in heaven, what can be
done?" walled Clsire, as she lay su' K in
a heap by her bedside "And what have
I done-What sin committed, that Fate
so cruelty Furnishes me?" she added, in
bitterness of heart.
i "My poor Clare, this bag shall not
come between u.s." said he wildly.
ooh, papa, what revelation this will
be to you'll" said Claire, in broken
voice, as her thoughts fed home to her
poor old lonely parent in his sequestered
Tectory.
But she said nothing that was upbraid-
ing to Montressor, for such from her
sweet lips would have broken bis already
tortured heart.
Digby got the woman-his wife-to
leave the cottage and go to the village
inn; and how tnat most terrible night was
passed he never precisely knew.
He dared not go near Claire, for now
her dismay at the sight of him, at the
touch of his hand, at his attempted Ca
resses to soothe, seemed to sting, to mad
den her.
Within very short spsce her face
seemed to be greatly altered; her lovely
eyes wore a wistfuI and dumbly- panied
preston, and her lips were pitiably
pale and quivering with pain AMI anxiety.
"Aud l thought he loved me sol"
walled the girl in her heart; but thought,
in the words of Milton, "that all was false
and hollow"
How long she sat there Claire never
knew; it might. have been one hour or
ten hours; but all her faculties, mental
and physical alike, became absorbed in
one great effort-flght-to get away from
Lynmouth and him.
She was slowly making up her mind to
achieve that, even though she felt fright
ened by the prospect, but to remain now
was impossible.
She had been tricked into the mar
riege-most daringly tricked. To her
at times it seemed that all this Ca
lamiiy must be happening, not to her, but